


Taboo

by SirJosephBanksFRS



Category: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 05:58:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirJosephBanksFRS/pseuds/SirJosephBanksFRS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place between the end of Chapter Seven and the beginning of Chapter Eight of <i>The Far Side of the World</i>.</p><p>Jack and Stephen celebrate being alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taboo

_Then she hauled in the sheet, Jack shoved her off, and the canoe raced back for the gap with the strong breeze abeam and Manu standing up braced against it, as lovely a sight as could be imagined. They waved until she was far out at sea, but she never replied._  
The Far Side of the World, Chapter Seven

Jack walked up the beach to where Stephen was sitting on the sand spying the periphery of the island.

“So, brother, here we are on solid land.” Stephen said. Jack smiled, looking at their beautiful, desolate little island, a tiny jewel of green surrounded by white sand, ringed with a green lagoon surrounded by reef in a vast, endless blue sea. Under other circumstances, Jack would have found the smallness of it oppressive but having spent over six hours keeping himself and Stephen afloat in the Pacific and the long, anxious hours they spent on the pahi surrounded by her very hostile crew had made this solid and uninhabited ground seem a paradise regained.

“Indeed. Our fortunes have improved. We will not be dinner, apparently. Well, it was civil of them to not leave us drown, anyway. But what a fearsome passel of Amazons they was. At least they liked you. I had the feeling that they thought I should be a splendid feast. What did that mean, Stephen, when you said “ _taboo”_ to them? I thought that ill-looking bitch was going to slaughter me like a hog, right before you said that, the way she was waving that knife around.”

“I believe they practice a South Sea Cybelian cult, Jack.” Jack looked questioningly at Stephen. “Did you not notice that skull-topped pole that they had near the starboard stem next to the totem pole carving of the three men?”

“Not at all.”

“I believe that it was well-decorated with actual human scroti. Most seemed relatively fresh, no more than a day or two old at most.”

“Scroti? I do not understand.” Stephen gestured and Jack’s face went white. “Holy Christ!” Jack cried.

“” _Taboo_ ” in Polynesian means “inviolable” or not to be touched. I know only three words of Polynesian and “ _taboo_ ” is one of them. I believe the intention was to emasculate you and because they could not, because your loins were _taboo_ , we were put on this island." Jack dropped onto the sand, trembling.

"My God, Stephen, nothing that has ever actually happened to me has shaken me so as you telling me this. I should not have cared if they had decided to make a feast of me afterwards." Stephen moved and sat next to him in the sand.

“Jack, my dear, I confess that I am so completely mortified that my clumsiness has been responsible for all of this. I do not see how I can possibly make anything like an adequate apology.” Stephen said, very quietly. “It was a most shameful mishap for an old seadog such as myself. I do not know how the men will not damn me for a lubber when we are rescued.” Through violent effort, Jack mastered the involuntary movement of his mouth to not smile or worse, laugh at the words of the old seadog, who looked truly miserable.

“ _Surprise_ shall come tomorrow.” Jack said, conscious of speaking with significantly more confidence than he actually possessed, a product of having held command for several years, though he cringed at the horrific sound of his own hubris, voiced now only out of love to ease his dear Stephen's heart. “Tis no very significant delay. Mowett will find us and all will be well.” Stephen was silent, his eyes downcast. “Stephen, I should have to be a most ungrateful wretch to be annoyed with you at all when if it were not for you, I would be a eunuch at this very moment. No one else on _Surprise_ could have prevented that outcome. I believe it is about one in the afternoon. The sun shall be down sooner than we probably suppose. We should look around and plan where we sleep and see what food there is. Stephen, do you remember a conversation we had long, long ago about the necessary discretion of our relations?”

“Right before we left in _Surprise_ going out to Bombay?”

“Just so. And you made a jest about our only chance for ever having any intimacy in full sun outside would be if we were shipwrecked, alone.”

“You found that a most illiberal jest.”

“Yes, and so it was. Almost criminal, in fact, on a man of war. But we are not shipwrecked, thank God. We are here, alone, in full sun outside. And no one will be here before tomorrow.” Jack said and he leaned towards Stephen and they ended up lying in the sand, Jack kissing him very hard.“Tell me what you should wish to do in full sun outside.” Jack said, looking into his face.

“Everything.”

“What is “everything,” Doctor?”

“Everything that I wished I could do and see you better. Which is virtually everything. I am myopic, Jack, which makes my vision very poor in dim light looking at anything larger than a hand's length at one glance. Unfortunately, that has been the price of scholarship. Six years of making love in a dim cabin at night with guttering candles has not improved my vision. I did not grow up in the crosstrees gazing nobly out at the sea at all hours of the day and night to keep an appropriately long focal point. These conditions are indeed perfect for me visually, the only issue is a superfluity of sand.” Stephen said and they both sat up.

“You do not get South Sea islands without sand, brother. It is either that or razor sharp coral.”

“True. But sand is very abrasive.” Stephen said, and he brushed some sand from Jack’s neck before grasping Jack’s loose hair at the nape of his neck in his hand and kissing him hungrily. “Now, joy, shall we see the rest of our kingdom here?” and they staggered up off of the sand. Both were extremely fatigued from their exertions the night before and the anxiety of their time on the pahi.

They walked up to the high point of the island, under the stand of palm trees. “We shall spend the night here. The high tide mark is,“ Jack pointed, “down there and the tide is coming in now.”

“We should take our clothes off and let them dry to get the sand out of them. We can put them over there,” Stephen gestured, “and they will be dry in an hour’s time.” Jack had only breeches, his shirt and small clothes. Both Jack and Stephen had lost their shoes and stockings to the ocean the night before. It had been so warm the previous evening that neither had been wearing a neckcloth or waistcoat. Stephen was clad only in breeches and his small clothes, as Jack had ripped Stephen's shirt off and discarded it to free him from the net.

They started to undress. Stephen was surprised by Jack’s expression. They had been naked together hundreds of times, but it seemed that the frank nudity, the carnal opportunity and bright sunshine was making Jack as shy as a bridegroom. “We are seldom completely disrobed without some artifact or person between us,” Stephen thought, “and never in this situation.” He stood in the bright sunshine looking at Jack’s nakedness before him, seeing him as he never had as physician, friend, shipmate or lover: being able to see all of him from a distance of several feet in bright light, with no constraint of time, without the fear of anyone’s interpretation of his gaze except for Jack himself. Jack's face, neck and forearms were tanned. The rest of his body was pale, though he showed early signs of sunburn. His hair was significantly brighter and paler yellow for the night’s exposure to salt and the day's exposure to both salt and sun. Stephen’s gaze lingered on the patchwork of scars on Jack’s neck, torso and shoulder from a lifetime qua warrior. Maturin now realized his own great affection and tenderness for the scars. He found himself drawn to Jack in an embrace that he little remembered who had reached out for first, his mouth upon Jack’s. He could smell the salt from the sea on Jack’s skin as his skin warmed in the sun, the smell of the sun drying his loose golden hair. Stephen kissed him hard and lightly brushed sand from his body. Jack’s skin was still quite cool from their very long immersion in the ocean, his legs and buttocks were distinctly cold. Stephen ran his hands all over Jack, finding only his erection and the hollow of his belly above it to be actually warm to the touch.

Stephen was ochre all over from his naked sunbathing, nearly as brown as the girls on the pahi had been. He was very slender, verging on being emaciated. Jack could see clearly now as he never had that oddly, despite his dark hair, the fine hairs on Stephen's forearms were actually blond. He was very scant of body hair on his torso until well below his navel and his pubic hair was very dark. Jack was surprised by the intensity of expression of frank desire on Stephen’s face, an expression he had never seen so clearly in all the time they had been together.

“Stephen,” Jack whispered hoarsely in his ear, “What do you wish to do? I so wish to make you happy.”

“I wish to see you and I wish you to see me.” Stephen said aloud. “The Dear knows this may never happen to us again. I wish to see your face as much as I can with every single act we do, if you please.” Jack coloured bright pink under the tan of his face and Stephen squeezed his hand. “Is that agreeable, _a chuisle mo chroí_?” In response, Jack leant forward and kissed Stephen, his bright blue eyes open and searching Stephen’s very pale blue eyes with infinite tenderness. Stephen felt his knees weaken and Jack pulled him closer.

"That happens to me, I feel as though my legs are folding up from under me when you kiss me.” Jack said. “I have thought I should faint, more than once. What a fool I should look.”

“Let me brush the sand from you and you should do the same, where I cannot see it.” Stephen said, brushing Jack’s person with the side of his hand.

There will be no end to it.” Jack said, surveying the sand all around them, sand that indeed blew past when the wind picked up.

“I should think a sailor would know the dangers of making love covered with sand. The salt is bad enough, but we have no means of ridding ourselves of it. Some of the sand will fall off as we dry, but not in the folds of our skin.” Jack considered this and started assiduously brushing sand off his body and Stephen’s.

“How shall we keep from getting more sand on us?”

“By becoming dry and by standing, I believe.” Most of the sand was gone from them and Jack leaned forward and kissed Stephen’s neck hard, licking the salt from his skin. He kissed down Stephen’s torso, licking the salt from him and knelt before him, taking Stephen’s hands in his and looking up into his face as he kissed his erection and drew him between his lips. Stephen watched Jack’s face, Jack's eyes tender and searching Stephen’s face and Stephen found himself getting lightheaded again as his body swayed against Jack’s face. Jack let go of his hands and reached to the small of his back to steady him. Stephen fought his urge to close his eyes over and over and then put a hand in Jack’s hair, “Jack, Jack, stop, I beg you.” Jack stopped and Stephen pulled him up to standing and wordlessly kissed him, embracing him tightly.

They walked over to the scant shade of the little grove of palm trees and Stephen led Jack to rest his back against the thickest one. Stephen knelt before Jack, spreading his legs to brush the sand from his thighs, buttocks and scrotum and then brought Jack's erection to his mouth. Stephen looked up into Jack's face. Jack held one of Stephen's hands in his. Jack's entire body trembled as Stephen led him to the inevitable finish and Stephen grasped his hips as Jack spent in a stiffening of his whole body that became paroxysmal shuddering and then almost convulsive shivering so that Jack's arms were frantically reaching to raise Stephen in order to press Stephen’s body against him as tightly as he could. Stephen had seen everything in Jack's face, his grimace in _la petite mort_ , an intensely gratifying and arousing sight, as he had never so clearly seen Jack thus before, tying the reactions of Jack's loins to his face. Jack was weak in the knees and could not have stood but for leaning against the palm tree. He deeply kissed Stephen, who had laid his right hand atop Jack' s heart and felt its racing eventually slow beneath his fingertips.

"Lord, Stephen." Jack said when could speak. His face was overcome with emotion, he looked upon Stephen with great tenderness.

"Jack, my dear, you are exhausted from this ordeal we have been through. We should lie down and rest." Stephen said, stroking Jack's face which suddenly wore his exhaustion plainly.

"What about the sand?"

"We shall be drier and more shall fall from our bodies." Stephen said."Let us rest at least a few hours." He and Jack lay down in each other's arms under the light shade of the palm trees and Stephen watched as poor Jack was asleep within seconds. "My God, he threw himself into the vastness of the Pacific Ocean in the dark for me." Stephen thought, feeling not guilt for their current misfortune nor shame at his own clumsiness but intense wonder at being so profoundly loved.

Stephen woke to see Jack gazing at him. It appeared to be late in the afternoon. Jack leaned forward and kissed him. Stephen touched Jack's hip, which was now warm and Jack took his hand.

“Jack,” Stephen said, “shall I have enough time to naturalize in the morrow before the ship arrives, with the blessing?”

“I am certain of it. Why do you ask?"

“I find that I want you very badly,” Stephen said and his hand trembled in Jack’s.

“Then so it shall be.” Jack said. “But where?”

“Here. Right here.”

“And the sand?”

“I shall proceed very carefully.” Stephen said and he sat up and first stood, making certain there was no sand on any part of himself that would have contact with Jack’s person. When he was satisfied, he situated himself between Jack’s knees. Jack lay on his back, looking up at the cloudless sky.

“Stephen, what are you doing?”

“For all love, I am being pragmatic and considerate of your delicate tissues, given our very limited options.” Jack flushed. "You need not be so Brahminic after soaking in the ocean brine for over six hours."

“Oh, Stephen, what a fellow you are.” Jack said and laughed.

“It is fine, I assure you. We are not the first people ever to make love on a deserted island and we shall not be the last.” Stephen said and he sat up and entered Jack's body very slowly. Jack gasped and moaned. "Does it hurt?" Stephen asked, stopping moving entirely.

"No, no, no, not at all, soul. Pray continue." Jack said and he reached for Stephen to pull him closer and deeper. They looked at each other’s faces, seeing each other as they never had before. Stephen found himself nonplussed for Jack to see him so candidly. He fought his own desire to close his own eyes. Stephen had long assumed that he was less restrained than Jack when it came to their coupling but Jack’s face was completely relaxed, unguarded, openly pleased, deeply tender and affectionate and lacking concealment of any type. “I wish to close my eyes,” Stephen thought, “as though doing so should keep him from seeing me. I am literally naked, he sees and has seen all and still he looks at me thus. Dear God, I love him so.”

"Oh, Jack, Jack, Jack..." Stephen cried as he spent, calling out louder than he ever had been able to before and Jack held Stephen's shuddering body, kissing him deeply. They lay there not moving for what seemed a very long time. Then Stephen crept off of Jack and helped him to stand and they dressed in their warm, bone dry clothes. They stood in time to see that the sun was setting with virtually no warning and soon they were in pitch darkness, as dark as it had been when Jack dived out the stern window less than twenty-four hours beforehand. They stood holding hands in the darkness.

"Dearest soul," Stephen said, "pray do rest your sixteen stone around my person, even though I shall be a poor and bony pillow for you. I should like that of all things." They lay down under the palms. and Jack put his arms around Stephen, wrapping his leg over Stephen’s torso. Stephen curled into Jack's body.

Stephen prayed silently in Catalan and then Latin, as was his nightly habit. Jack prayed, as was not his habit at all, but did so silently and very earnestly: that the next day should not make him a liar to Stephen; that the fates not punish his hubris; that his belly should be fed very soon; that Mowett had not given up on finding them and that by some miracle they would not be living a shortened existence engaged in what was sure to be less and less enjoyable sandy carnal exercise in lieu of activities like eating and drinking. Stephen sleepily stroked Jack's hair and kissed him saying, "Goodnight, Jack my dear, and may God bless you always." and they fell asleep in the warm tropical night.


End file.
